Improvement in harvesters



@mitch tant datent fitte,

CHRISTOPHER LIDREN, OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND R.. JACKSON, OF SAME PLACE.

Leners from No. 82,535, dare/z Sammie 29, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, CIImsTQDHI-:R LIDREN, of Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe, and State of Indiana, have invented a. new and improved Reapi'ng and Mening-Machine -and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved reaping and mowing-machine, and it consists in a novel construction andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby several advantages are obtained over the ordinary machines in use.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings .Figure 1, Sheet No.' 1, is a side View of my invention, a portion being in section.

Figure 3, a plan er top view of the same. i

Figure 3, a section oi' a portion of the. same, taken in the line 2'- x, iig 2.- y

Figure 4, Sheet No. 2, a detached iront view-of the sickle-driving mechanism pertaining to the same.

Figure 5, a section of iig. 4, taken in the line y y. y

Figure 6, a section of fig. 3, taken in the line z e.

Figure 7, a sectionof iig. 5, taken in the line zl z'.

Similar letters of refcrenceindicate corresponding parts.

'A represents the axle ot' the machine.

l? B the wheels thereof.

C the main frame, and

D the draught-pole.

The main frame C issiinply a V-shaped bracket, the rear ends of which are fitted, by means of boxes a a, in grooves b, in the hubs e ol' the wheels B, the hubs heirgallo'wed to turn freely in the boxes, (see iig.

The hubs c are fitted loosely on the axle, but they are connected thereto, so as to revolve it when necessary, by means ot ratehebclutches E E, which are allowed to slide on the axle, and are connected thereto by a feather and groove, (sce figs. 2 and 23.) l

The boxesa a are grooved to form lubrienting-clmmbers ax, (see iig. 3,) to i'oeeive cotton-waste or other absorbent material, which is kept saturated with oil. Y

F is the drvers seat, the supports rl oi' which are attached to the rear part ofthe main frame C, and in such a manner as to be capable of being adjusted further forward or backward, as maybe desired.

The axle A projects considerably beyond the right-hand wheel B of the machine, and has two cams, G G', keyed firmly upon it at thc outer side of said wheel lz). i u

These cams may he described as wheels having| their peripherics fcrrned of a series of eoncaves, e, the centres ofthe concaves of one earn being opposite or in line with the points oi'junction of the concaves of the other eem, (see figs. i and 2.) A

li represents an nrzn which is placed loosely on the axle A, between the two cams G G. A

This arm extends down `below the cams, and upward as high as the tops thereof, the upper end of the arm being divaricateri or forked, and having a box, I, attached to its prongs in such u. manner that it may be adjusted higher or lower, as may be desired. .A

This is effected by means of belts f, (see iig. 0,) which pass through vertical oblong slots g in the sides ofthe box, and fit in grooves in the upper ends of the prongs of the arm H, keys L being fitted in grooves in the inner surfaces of'the sides ot' the boxjand having their upper edges in contactrwith shoulders jon the prongs of the erin. A The bearings of a rock-shaft, J, arejust above the bolts f. By this arrangement it will be seen that ainple adjustment is obtained to compensate for weer of the jour nais ofthe rock-shaft and its bearings, and also of rollers JX JX, against which the cams G G' act, said rollers being tted on arms Z Z, which project laterally from the rock-shaft, at opposite sides.

These rollers, JX JX, have leather or other suitable material, m, litted in their peripheries, and they are provided with oil-chambers n, by which they may always be kept properly lubricated, (see lig. 7.)

The leather, or other analogous material, m; ohviates wear and tear, and diminishes friction.

It'may be readilyr removed whenever required.

T0 the front end of the rock-shaft J, a bar or connecting-rod, K, is attached, the lower end of the latter being connected by a link, o, with the sickle L of the machine, said sickle being applied to a finger-bar, M, in the usual or any propermanner.

The peration of the sickle-driving mechanism will be readily understood.

As the machine is drawn along, and the clutches E E adjusted so as to connect the hubs c of the wheels B with the axle A, the axle is made to rotate with said wheels, and the cams Gr Gr', acting against the rollers JX JX, give a vibrating or oscillating movement` to the shaft J, and a reciprocating motion is communicated from the latter to the sickle, through th'e media of the rod K and link o.

In order to render thesickle inoperative, all that is required is simply to adjut the clutches E E, so that the hubs c of the wheels will be disconnected from theaxle A. The clutches are operated by the shipping-lever EX.

The finger-bar M is attached to the lower end cf the arm H by a universal joint, N, which admits of the finger-bar and sickle being raised and lowered according to the height of cut required; and as the arm H is fitted loosely on the axle A, it will be seen that therod K is not interferedwith n the least under this adjustment of the linger-bar and sickle.

To the inner end of the finger-bar M there is attached a shoe, O, the front dnd of which is connected by a universaljoint, P, to a linlc, Q, the front end of the latter being connected to a crank, p, atsgne end of aishaft, R, at the front end ofthe main frame C.

The shaft R has a lever, S, secured to its inner end, and this lever is retained at any desired pointwithin the scope of itsmcvement, by means of a notched bar, q, the rear end of which is pivoted in the main frame.

This notched bar passes through a' slot in the level-S, and engages with the latter, the lever being adjusted further forward or backward by raising the notched bar, through the media of a bent lever, 7, and link s, shown clearly in iig. 1. v

irorder to admit of thetinger-bar being raised longitudinally to clear or pass over obstructions, a curved bar, T, is attached to the lower end of the arm H, said bar T having an oblique position, so that when the lower end of the arm H is drawn forward, the bar T will come in contact with the inner end of the Jringer-bar, as shown att, lig. 4, and retain orhuldlip the inger-bar horizontally.

I tially Aas set forth.

U is the doubleltree, the boltzt of which passes through an oblong slot, v, inthe draught-pole Uftle Tower end of the bolt being connected, by a rod, w, with the lower end ofthe lever S, as shownin tig. 1.

By this arrangement Vthe team is rendered subservient in raising the linger-bar.

' I claim as new, and desire toksecure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of thehubs b, frame C, and clutches E, with the shipping-lever EX, all these parts being arranged and constructed `a s herein shown and described. j' j 2. The arrangement of the two cams G Gr, axle A, forked 'arm H,-"box rock-shaft J, rollers JX, and vibrating. arm K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The box'l, attached to the arm H, and the rock-shaft J fitted therein, as shown, whereby proper adjustment may be made for the wear and tear ofthe rollers JX, and the jonrnalsand boxes of the rock-shaft, substan- 4. Constructing the rollers' JX with oil-chambers n, and providingthem with exteriorsurfaces of leather, m, or other suitable material, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

The above specication of my invention signed by me, this 25th day of March, A. D. 1868.v

' CHRISTOPHER LIDREN.

Witnesses:

J. H. Wesson, O. H. TEMPLE.l 

